At one time, the Best Available Science told us only that the earth was flat and that it rotated around the sun. This was based on limited observations without correct scientific study. Unfortunately, we have a similar situation facing San Juan County today. It is of the utmost importance that as legislators you maintain the independence of science from policy pressures. This is the only way to ensure legitimacy and quality of science.
We’re starting to see some light on the horizon when it comes to restoring salmon, and we have good management to thank for it. But despite the ground we’ve gained, we are losing habitat faster than we can restore it.
Orca Relief would better serve the orca if they would stop splitting hairs over what you perceive as a loophole in the whale-watching rules and stop distracting the public from the real issues these whales are facing that may cause their demise: salmon depletion and pollution of their environment.
When tragedies happen in our island communities, anger, grief and shock can pull us together or pull us apart. Sometimes it’s a little of both.
We’re doing this for EVERYBODY’S GRANDCHILDREN, not just ours. The more we can find out about what is good for us and all creatures large and small, the better off we’ll be.
Since 1886, Roche Harbor has been a lime company town and a resort town. But the common thread – a thread dating back earlier than the settlement era – is that it’s always been a community of people. To all those who participated in the July 18 luncheon and book signing, thank you. And welcome home.
State law and the state Supreme Court indicate meetings and records of PeaceHealth’s governing board, to be appointed to oversee operations of the proposed hospital on San Juan Island, must be open to the public. Openness is a good thing. And we are encouraged by Jim Barnhart’s comments; he is CEO of PeaceHealth’s Suislaw Region in Oregon and has been appointed by PeaceHealth to lead the planning and development of the proposed hospital here. He said of open public meetings and public records requirements: “We, of course, would abide by any requirements that exist.”
I invite anyone who questions the current importance of the ACLU to visit the ACLU Web site at aclu.org. The ACLU has worked since 1920 in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Summarized below are but a few examples of the recent diverse activities of the ACLU.
Here’s a well-deserved shout-out for Paul Spencer, firefighter/mechanic for the Friday Harbor Fire Department. Spencer took a break from scrambling eggs at the department’s July 5 pancake breakfast to help a Lummi Nation artist whose car wouldn’t start.
Times are tough right now. But for just a few dollars, and a little bit of your time, you can bolster cancer research and help provide services for local cancer patients. This year, Relay for Life is July 25-26, 2:30 p.m. to 11 a.m., on the Friday Harbor High School football field.
Newspapers, schools, government … all are among the many institutions who are chided if they don’t fly the flag on Flag Day. We used to fly it at The Journal when our offices were on Guard Street, before moving to Mullis Street a few years ago. Only trouble, we were on the first floor and we lost a few flags.
Any other year, if you miss the island’s Fourth of July celebration, you could say, “Oh, well, there’s always next year.” If you miss this year’s celebration, you’ll have to wait another 100 years. So don’t miss it.
It’s Baby Season. Deer fawns, fox kits, raccoon kits and other cute little wild babies are out there and people just can’t resist the temptation to feed them. Some folks assume that a baby on its own must be hungry and they should “take care of it,” while others use food to tempt a youngster closer to get a good photo. Either way, it is not good news for the young wild animal.